Chemists, electrical goods retailers and hardware outlets are the big winners from a continued rise in consumer spending levels over the past three months, while pubs and bars largely lost out.

A huge downward revision by the UK government of its bailed-out banks has once again put a spotlight on the over-valuation of AIB and other banks here on the State’s books.

If this is chaos, then forget stability.

Fashion retailer French Connection sank deeper into the red yesterday after a poor sales performance over the spring extended into the following months.

Fashion retailer French Connection sank deeper into the red today after a poor sales performance over the spring extended into the following months.

Global investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald is the latest financial body to weigh in on the Irish economic recovery with strong 2015 growth projections.

The Irish arm of US investment banking giant Cantor Fitzgerald has posted an after-tax profit of just over €8m for 2013.

Tesco will reveal a steep fall in half-year profits next week in the wake of a catalogue of disasters including a £250m accounting error that has seen eight of its executives suspended.

Budget airline easyJet was counting the cost of unrest and political tensions affecting Israel, Egypt and Russia after its latest trading update prompted the City to scale back forecasts for annual profits.

EMC needs to convince investors that keeping the company together is worth more than the estimated $10bn (€7.4bn) that could be unlocked in a breakup.

Air France-KLM sent a further shiver through the airline sector today when it slashed full-year profit forecasts due to overcapacity on its US routes.

Britain’s biggest supermarket Tesco is expected to post a third successive quarter of worsening sales when latest trading figures are published tomorrow.

The fact that Irish banks do not require any further capital could tip Moody’s into upgrading Ireland’s sovereign credit rating.

Shares in Apple and key chip suppliers for its new iPhones rose as the first day of sales at Apple stores drew long queues and an analyst said the first weekend would likely top the initial sales figures of last year’s model.

AIB raised €500m through a five-year covered bond at roughly an interest rate of 3.2% — the third time it has tapped the markets since last November.

British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group (IAG) lifted nearly 7% today as the business posted better-than-expected results.

The owner of British Airways posted another big loss today but insisted a painful restructuring at Spanish carrier Iberia was starting to pay off.

Cantor Fitzgerald has been considering a stockbroking acquisition here since 2010 and now, having bought Dolmen Securities, the US firm has ambitious plans to jump start the corporate bond market in Ireland, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

Relatives of British victims of the September 11 terror attacks welcomed news that prosecutors will push for the death penalty in the New York trials of five alleged plotters.

BRACE yourself. The annual report of Anglo Irish Bank will be published tomorrow. The full extent of the toxicity of this former plc and its nefarious practices from October ’07 to the end of September’08 will be exposed.

Wall Street advanced today after a better-than-expected report on consumer prices tempered some of the market's concerns about inflation.

Fresh intrigue was added to the takeover duel for ICG yesterday when international stockbroker Cantor Fitzgerald bought over one million shares in the group yesterday.

WAR-fuelled stock market increases stalled and the US dollar slid after US President George W Bush cautioned the war with Iraq "could be longer and more difficult than some predict".

Both the 1,360-ft towers have now collapsed. More than 50,000 people work in